


Emancipation

by Rodidor



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-10-06 20:44:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17352287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodidor/pseuds/Rodidor
Summary: What if some of the prisoners in Blackgate were actually innocent? How many ways had Gotham's authorities and elite failed the other citizens of the city?Dr. Sonia "Sunny" Young greets the release of her father from Blackgate Prison after years of fighting for his release with great enthusiasm. That enthusiasm is short-lived when her face ends up plastered on the news and internet, and the other dangers of Gotham's transformation into an isolated city-state make themselves known. An unlikely partnership between Sunny and Bane's right-hand, Barsad, brings unexpected friendship and unexpected doubts.AU. Extends the timeline of the siege of Gotham from 5 months to nearly a year.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome to my story. This is a story I've been writing on and off for nearly a year. The original document is hundreds of pages of work that I frequently change and edit. That being said, it's not a *good* story.
> 
> I started writing this as an outlet for my stress. I would use the story to allow me to focus on a singularly enjoyable task. So, when reading this, please keep in mind that this was an escapism exercise written purely for fun.
> 
> It toes the line on being realistic as far as the confines of the universe canon in which it's set. Also, the story focuses on supporting and original characters. Bane only appears twice(so far), and Batman, Talia, and Catwoman are mentioned only in passing. If you want a Bane heavy story, this is not it.
> 
> There are elements from the comic books that will play a part in the story, but they are subtle or won't show up until much, much later.
> 
> I hope you enjoy. Thank you.

The liberation of Black Gate Prison was an event full of controversy, and there was no consensus on how anyone should feel about it. 

For the many caught up in the furor of Gotham’s revolution, it was a sign of justice being performed unilaterally and uninhibited by bureaucracy that would have slowed the progression of the men reclaiming their freedom had it been the undertaken by proper legal channels. Most importantly, it was an act unbiased by wealth or circumstance—a rarity for the city of Gotham. 

For others, it was an act met with trepidation, for many of those released were criminals who belonged locked in the Fortress of Blackgate even if they had been put there unjustly. For these people, the ends justified the means, and the safety of the many was more important than the freedom of the few. To them, the criminals had committed unspeakable injustices and were being let free to roam the streets, with no entity to stop them from wreaking destruction.

For Sonia “Sunny” Young, this was a day of rejoicing. Her father, Curtis, had been arrested in a raid that imprisoned the men of Gambol’s crew. Though he had no ties to the mob, Curtis Young’s arrest was based solely off of circumstantial evidence and racial profiling. He happened to be in the area, and looked like the rest of Gambol’s men. 

Despite fighting tooth and nail for his freedom, Curtis was sentenced under the Dent Act. In the 8 years since, Sunny and her mother had filed appeal after appeal. They had met with lawyers and petitioned judges to no avail. Eventually, the stress of it all took a permanent toll on her mother’s heart. Alone, Sunny continued to battle for her father and had little hopes for his release. 

Then, Bane appeared. 

Sunny stood in the crowd in front of Blackgate Prison with a baseball cap tugged low on her brow. She called into the hospital claiming an emergency when she found out that Bane was going to Blackgate. She knew her superiors were likely watching the live footage and wanted to at least try to be hidden. 

At first, she was nervous that Bane was going to order the destruction of the prison and those inside. As Bane read the contents of Commissioner Gordon’s letter, however, that fear turned tears of anger at the revelation that her father’s imprisonment had managed to be even more unjust than it seemed initially. After Bane finished his speech, Sonia pushed through the crowd as the former prisoners walked out one by one no longer caring if the cameras caught a glimpse of her. 

Reaching the front, she waited in front of Bane’s armed henchmen, watching to see if they would react to her movements. They all but ignored her. Meanwhile, the men of Blackgate stormed out with their weapons, and she waited, her eyes scanning the former prisoners. 

Her father still had yet to come out, and a sickening sensation roiled in her stomach at the possibility that he was no longer there. 

“SUNNY,” A familiar baritone called out, carrying over the hum of the crowd. 

As the story went, “Sunny” was the nickname her father had given her while rocking her in his arms as a newborn to a Stevie Wonder song. The moniker stuck, and she had gone by it ever since.

She looked up to see her father hurtling towards her, unarmed unlike the rest of the men around him. She ran past the line of mercenaries, too overcome with excitement to continue to be intimidated by their presence, and leapt into his embrace with tears streaming from her eyes. It was a reunion that had been too long delayed. 

“Daddy,” She whispered her voice full of emotion. Curtis held her tighter, and for a moment she was a little girl again being held by her father. The 8 years had taken a toll on their little family.

They stood in their embrace for a few moments, before Sunny became aware of the attention they were getting. 

The members of the mercenary group were watching them. The crowd and cameras were pointed their direction, even some former prisoners stopped walking and leered in their direction. Curtis also took notice of the unwanted attention and attempted to shield his face from view. Sunny tugged her baseball cap lower and ducked her head, but the damage was done. 

They had seen her. She was no longer an anonymous Gothamite. 

“Let’s go.” 

Curtis took her by the arm, and led her away from the gathering.

Most of the stares stopped when they entered the crowd, but a particular set of eyes followed them until they were out of sight. 

Bane’s voice continued to echo after them. “See how your government tore families apart. What is happening here is worth rejoicing. What we are doing is-” 

Sonia stopped listening at that point. 

Curtis started walking in the direction of her childhood home, a small apartment in Gotham Heights projects. 

“Dad, I moved out of the Heights after mom,” Sonia spoke and paused. “I live closer to Gotham General now. Follow me.” 

“Right. I just was so excited to go home,” Curtis replied looking anywhere but at her. “I forgot you said you moved in a letter. Lead the way home.”

Sonia led him towards midtown. It was four block neighborhood that was approximately a mile away from Gotham General, and many of the junior doctors and surgeons lived around there. It was a decent part of the city. A person would not be terrified to take their trash out at night, but they wouldn’t sleep with the door unlocked either. 

That was before Bane released an entire prison into the city of course.

Curtis looked around and noticed that the room was cluttered, not dirty, but just full of supplies. Sonia had lighters, several first aid kits, canned goods, dry ice, cases upon cases of water, blankets, and even some firewood staggered throughout her apartment. She had made a hidden fortress for herself. 

“I promise my place usually looks better than this,” Sonia said as she closed the door behind them. "I had to sacrifice tidiness in order to store everything."

Curtis watched Sonia’s lockdown process with a heavy, sad gaze as he realized how his daughter’s life had come to mirror his past 8 years in prison. When she bolted the door and locked several other latches that were brand new, Curtis’s heart broke. 

“Where did you get all of this?” He asked his arm gesturing towards the items all over the room.

“Some of this is leftover from hurricane season. The rest I got after the stock market incident, I pulled a good amount of my money from the bank, and bought supplies like the new locks on the door. I put most of the money back to be cautious, but the funds I kept are hidden. I wanted to be prepared just in case. I based my plans on all those disaster movies we’d watch together when I was younger. To be honest, I know got lucky when I did that. Money isn’t going to mean anything anymore.” 

Curtis’s first night in his daughter’s home was bittersweet. The last time they had been together, it had been their whole family. 

Now, it was just the two of them. 

Curtis’s hair had gone fully white his second year in the prison. The wrinkles in his face aged him past his 56 years, and his hands shook often. Sunny reminded herself not focus too often on these changes to her father. 

Curtis caught a familiar face out the corner of his eye, and carefully approached the picture. Reina Young smiled back at him, her face shining with youth that it carried until her untimely death. Sunny favored her mother, with her dark brown skin, and round nose. Her eyes, bright golden-brown, she had gotten from her father.

Sunny mourned for her mother afresh, watching her father’s face crumple when he looked at the pictures of his late wife. He had not been given permission for a temporary release in order to attend his wife’s funeral. It was part of the conditions of the Dent Act. His daughter had been forced to bury her mother alone with some relatives from Haiti who had managed to make the trip. Now, they knew that Reina Young's death was just another injustice indirectly caused by the Dent Act. Had she not been forced to dedicate so many years to fighting for her husband, she might very well be alive.

“I have to admit, I am glad she isn’t here to see this,” Curtis lamented after a long silence. Sunny’s mouth opened to voice her disagreement, but was silenced by her father’s weary look. 

“We both know that I am innocent, but what is happening to this city isn’t right either. I was in prison with those men, and I know what they are capable of. They should not have ever been released,” Curtis continued rubbing his knees in slow circular motions. It was something Sunny could remember him doing whenever he was distressed. 

“It was never right the way you were all locked up, Dad. We trusted the authorities to be just, and they weren't. It’s too far gone either way,” she said patting his arm. “I’m happy to have you home, with this whole bomb business. There’s no one else I’d rather be with in the end.”

Curtis took her hand in his, eyes shining with emotion. The moment ended as they heard footsteps storming down the hall, both tensing. The relaxed as the footsteps faded away.

“I’m exhausted, my emotions are all over the place, and I have to go to the hospital in the morning,” Sonia complained, her voice low. 

“Go to work? Baby girl, are you serious? He just released a prison full of dangerous men and you’re trying to go to work?” Curtis asked, voice cracking ever so slightly from incredulity. 

“People don’t stop being sick just because the world is burning down. The hospital is a very short staffed with all the recent call outs that have been happening. No one has seen the head of pediatrics in over a week. They had many of us working on our specialties moved to other departments to help out. It’s unconscionable to leave sick people to fend for themselves,” Sunny reasoned and kissed his temple. 

“I am very careful when I leave, and I do carry protection with me. You can stay indoors if you want it’s safer that way. If you need something to do, you could go see mom. She’s buried in the cemetery in the Heights. I couldn’t afford to put her elsewhere. If that’s not something you’re interested in, maybe look for more supplies? We don’t have time left. We can’t sit here afraid, because that will kill us faster than this plot will. We need to do what we can now to survive.” 

Sunny proceeded to lock the and windows of the apartment, making sure the blinds were drawn and curtains shut. She was grateful she lived on the fourth floor. 

Sonia kissed his forehead and hugged him tight. “Get some rest in the other room, Dad. I’m so glad to have you home. You should have never been taken away.”

“I will in a moment baby girl. Go ahead and hit the lights for me. I’m going to walk you to work in the morning.”

She cut out the lights, leaving him encompassed in darkness. Curtis sat for a moment, and wept for his wife, for his daughter, and for the time he had lost.  
\--

The way to Gotham’s largest hospital was paved with plenty of indicators that the city had been turned upside down. Many of the stores Curtis and Sunny passed had been ransacked for their supplies, with only broken glass and varying bits of debris in their wake. Her favorite bakery had been raided within hours of the Blackgate emancipation. One of the ovens had been pulled out of its place in the wall, held aloft by only a few wires and abandoned by someone who decided it was not worth the effort after all. A week later, it had fallen completely to the ground, taking a chunk of the wall with it.

Sunny lived only a twenty minute walk from the hospital, but she stayed on her guard as much as possible, and was relieved that Curtis had been walking with her for the past week. Today’s weapon selection, to Curtis’s amusement, was an old aluminum baseball bat which she swung lazy as she walked. It was a deterrent for people wanting to approach her at close range. 

Once they reached the hospital, the father and daughter always parted ways. 

Despite the horror on Gotham’s streets, the pediatric ward of Gotham General was teeming with positive energy. This was due to the staff members who came into work everyday and collectively strived to bring some modicum of joy to the children’s lives. 

Many of the children with less serious illnesses had been taken into hiding with their parents, but those with more severe cases could not leave. Many of them had not seen their parents since the beginning of the siege, and the staff was hard-pressed to keep up moral with those patients. The hospital was mostly run by the nursing staff and a few of the less renowned surgeons and interns. 

Corruption had run deep within the veins of even the hospital. Overnight, Bane’s regime revealed that many of the department heads and top surgeons were profiting from donations and the deaths of patients. Sunny’s direct boss had been performing unnecessary exploratory surgeries to increase profits. Once this had been revealed, they were taken to court to be judged by Bane’s new “legal” system. They had not been seen since. Some of them had even been dragged out of the hospital in clear view of other staff and patients. 

Prior to the siege, Sonia worked as a general surgeon hoping to focus on neurology, but after the siege, she went where she found herself most needed: Pediatrics. 

She found herself carting in food, checking vitals, and administering a now diminishing supply of medicine to the sick children of Gotham. She had taken on the roles of nurse, doctor, and parent which she handled with extreme care.

“Miss Sunny!” A young boy exclaimed as she entered his room. Bandages went up his arms from where he had injured himself with excessive scratching the week before.

She would never admit it aloud, but this child was one of her favorite patients. He was always a positive source in the pediatric wing. He had dark circles under his eyes and seemed fatigued, but still smiled brightly at her. 

“Good morning, Ned. How are you?” She greeted as she checked all of his vitals. 

“I saw you on the TV again yesterday Miss Sunny. In front of the prison,” He chattered quickly stumbling over his words. “You were going past all these guys with g-guns. Wasn’t that scary? That big guy with the funny voice is really scary. Who was that guy you were hugging?” 

Sonia smiled. “Yes, I went to go get my father. The police made a mistake and thought he was committing a crime when he wasn’t. Now, he’s home with me, and I’m taking care of him.”

Ned nodded after considering her words. “The guy on the TV said that happened a lot, and that the police took the wrong people on purpose. They’ve been showing that picture of you a lot on the daily broadcasts. I miss my parents. I wish they would come to see me.” 

Sonia’s heart clenched. “Your parents don’t stay away on purpose. Things are just hard right now. They’ll be here to visit as soon as they can. It’s a little dangerous for people to be out and about.” 

Truth was, Ned’s family was well off, and well-known amongst Gotham’s elites. They were either in hiding or dead, and she wasn’t prepared to explain that to a chronically ill child.

The expression on the 8 year-old’s face darkened. “You still come everyday. They could have tried by now.” 

She nudged him, and he met her eyes. “You said it yourself, the guy in the mask is scary. For some people, it’s better for them to stay at home. Plus, if they were here, do you think you’d get to take your medicine with a half a cup of pop?” 

Ned’s eyes widened as she held up a can of ginger ale that she had saved just for him and continued speaking, “I can keep a secret, can you?” 

With his eager nod, Sunny watched as he took his medicine and then settled into bed. Ginger ale was nowhere near a cola, but it was moments like this that made the biggest difference to the patients. That moment of kindness could brighten up a patient’s day.

Sonia finished checking Ned’s vitals, and smiled at him.

“Things are looking good Ned, but you do need to try to avoid the scratching. It won’t be good if those scratches got infected. Hopefully, we’ll have a quiet day today for you to get some rest. We could use a little less excitement.” 

Just as those words were spoken, a commotion rang out through the hall, and Sunny rushed out of the room, her lab coat billowing out slightly. 

There were three men standing in the corridor. At first, she was concerned that they were coming to take another staff member away, but then she looked closer. The one in the middle was being held up by the others. He had a knife sticking out of his side. Other knife wounds were obvious as blood oozed from his body. The men holding him up had their weapons pointed at the hospital staff who were ducking away from the potential danger. They looked like the men who stood with Bane.

Sunny immediately approached them. 

“What are you doing here? This isn’t the ER,” She found herself asking before she could stop herself. It was obvious what they were doing there. A man was bleeding all over the linoleum. They needed help.

One of the men trained a weapon on her, and she immediately tensed up, but stood firm. 

“You. You’re the woman from the prison. Good, we helped you so you help him now or else I’ll shoot,” He commanded, gesturing at the man who was now unconscious. 

“I cannot help you here. We can go to the OR,” Sonia offered, her hands up in a placating manner. 

“No. You’ll see him now. There are supplies here as well,” the man practically barked. Sonia grew annoyed at his presumption.

“Look around. This is the hallway of the pediatric ward where everything is selected for children. I need access to the things more appropriate for an adult patient. Plus, this area is full of sick children, and I don’t need you causing problems by scaring them further and bleeding all over their floor. I can help you there instead,” Sonia challenged, her heart thundering in her chest. 

She felt that the likelihood of her getting shot increased exponentially due to her defiance, but the persistent threat of a bomb hanging over the heads of the city made a gunshot wound seem less terrifying. 

The man looked around as if noticing the curious stares of the ailing children for the first time. Even Ned had gotten up from his bed to stare at the commotion with his large, tired, brown eyes. 

Despite their reign of terror over Gotham, the mercenaries would not go out of their way to harm children. Bane would be unforgiving if a child were harmed, as it would hinder the message of their mission. While he maintained that no one in Gotham was innocent, he wanted the people to nearly admire them. The young mercenary also knew that Barsad would be even more unforgiving than Bane if a child were harmed on his behalf. Bane’s right hand man didn't share all of the beliefs of their leader. He still believed in the innocence of children.

They were strange in that way, their leaders. They had condemned everyone to death, claiming there were no innocents, but would not condone any sort of physical harm be enacted on an individual level to average citizens. The mercenary honestly just believed they had a soft spot for children. He let out a huff of a sigh and eyed the woman in front of him, scratching his patchy beard. He was not used to making the decisions. He was not even the second-in-command, but it was his choice. The mercenary sighed.

“Fine, but you better help,” He acquiesced. 

Sunny wasted no time, calling out to one intern to watch the children and another to assist her. She directed them towards the nearest gurney, and began to wheel her new patient into the operating room. 

Once they arrived, Sunny instructed the intern, Seamus, to gather supplies while she began to cut away at the man's shirt. She knew who these men were. Their weapons and gear gave them away. Snapping on gloves and a protective mask, she and Seamus began to work, making sure he was stable. 

The knife was at an odd angle, as if someone tried to yank it out of him haphazardly. Sonia cursed under her breath when she couldn't get a clear view of the wound.

"Did someone try to take this knife out?" 

"It was snagged when we removed his vest. That was when he lost consciousness."

“Well, because the knife is still in the wound and I can't see what's going on internally, I’m going to try to get imaging so that we can make sure nothing vital is being punctured,” She explained, and Seamus gave her a concerned look. 

“Dr. do we have time? Shouldn't we just hurry up and get this guy out of here?” Seamus asked, his eyes glancing nervously at the mercenaries glowering at them. 

Sunny let out an annoyed huff feeling her patience waning. She wanted to be able to be openly nervous the way that Seamus was. Internally, she was just as panicked, but someone needed to remain level-headed and clear sighted. 

It was frustrating that it always seemed to fall on her.

“I can assure you that if we remove this knife and this man dies because we hit a major organ or left foreign bodies in his wound, these men will definitely kill us. If we do this job right, that should not be a problem. As a doctor, it is our duty to provide quality care to any person that comes to us for help. I need to know that I’m removing this knife in the safest way possible,” Sonia said and her eyes cut towards the men. “Is that alright with you or are you pressed for time?” 

“We don’t care how you do it,” The more outspoken of the two said. “Just fix him, and don’t fuck up.”

Sonia and the intern worked a quickly as they could. A technician was available to help with the scans, and they all tried their best to ignore the armed men looming over them.

As soon as it was clear that the knife was safe to remove, Sonia began to work on extracting it. 

”Fortunately, the knife is not in a location that could cause major trouble. Neither of us is an anesthesiologist, so Seamus will administer a local anesthetic. It may not do much to help the pain for this kind of procedure. So, if he cries out, it's because it hurts not because I'm actively trying to kill me,” She explained to the men who nodded. They were used to dealing with these things. Pain was nothing new.

She looked down at her patient while Seamus administered the anesthetic shots. The man on the table was sallow from blood loss. Even still, his skin was fair with rose-tinting despite his injury. His nose was slightly crooked at the bridge, and his eyes were deeply set enough to give him the look of being sleepy. A cropped, but messy beard encompassed a cupid’s bow mouth, and his brown hair was in the early stages of needing another trim. He was attractive, Sonia would admit, but he was also recognizable as the man who stood next to Bane the previous day.

With that realization, Sunny made careful work of the wound, extracting the knife with care, and applying pressure to stem the flow of blood. The man woke as she extracted the knife, grunting in pain. He jerked slightly, his hand grabbing her wrist tightly to still her. Seamus yelped in shock, and Sonia halted her movements.

She kept her free hand pressed firmly to his wound and leaned over him to look him in the eye. His eyes met hers with alarm, but he did not speak. His eyes moved around the room, taking in the sight of his men, before returning to her.

“I am a doctor. You were stabbed. I’m treating the wound. If you calm down and release my hand, I can continue treating you. You will be fine, just relax,” Her voice was low and soothing as she spoke slowly to him. “I just extracted the knife, and I will proceed with cleaning the open wound once blood flow is staunched.”

He let go of her wrist. 

After the tension left his body, she refocused on the task at hand. He watched her the entire time, and she struggled not to falter under the combination his intense gaze, and the gun that was still being held to her. 

“He’s experiencing venous bleeding, so I am applying pressure to the wound to staunch the flow of blood,” Sunny announced, her voice still calm. “Seamus is preparing the gauze with saline solution for me to pack the wound.” 

Once the bleeding had stopped, Sonia carefully removed the debris, setting the pieces on a tray held by Seamus's shaking hands.

“Did you throw him into a gravel pit after he was stabbed?” She asked sarcastically, picking out pieces of debris bit by bit. "This wound is filthy."

“He was on the ground for a moment while we fended off the assailants,” The now chastened mercenary responded.

“I’m making sure that the debris is cleared, and the wound is cleaned to stave off infection. Because of how deep and jagged it is, I will need to close it. Should it become infected, he will need to have the wound reopened and drained,” She explained. “Seamus, you can go. I can handle it from here. You’re far too nervous to handle stitches right now.” 

“Thank you Dr. Young,” Seamus replied. As he left, he skirted his way along the outer edge of the room to avoid the mercenaries.

Once the wound was suitably cleaned, she washed it with antiseptic and began suturing. The man on the table showed no pain outwardly as she worked.

After the final stitch and dressing, Sunny moved on to making sure the other lacerations were properly cleaned and bandaged as none of the others required stitches. For the bruises, nothing could be done. Sonia looked up at the other two men. The man on the table had seemingly dozed off, undoubtedly exhausted.

“He’ll be fine so long as this doesn’t get infected. Make him rest. This needs to be cleaned and rebandaged every six to eight hours as necessary. Keep it dry, and do not allow him to exert himself too much or else the stitches will break and need replacing. For the pain, give him your strongest painkillers, and let that be the end of it. It’s a wonder how you guys can invade an entire city, but not manage to hire a private physician,” She wondered the last bit aloud to the irritation of the men in the room. 

The mercenary closest to her scowled. 

“Our doctor was tending to other matters. You were closer.” 

Sunny looked at the man who spoke until he began to fidget under her gaze. 

“If it becomes infected carefully open the stitches and bring him back for immediate medical attention if your doctor is not available. God forbid you ever return, but if you do, please try not to brandish anymore guns at hospital personnel or patients. I get that you all have some sort of twisted goal, but this is where people come for help, and you stormed into the children’s wing,” She pleaded beseechingly.

The men nodded at her request. 

“You better hope your handiwork pulls through,” One of the men said. His words were a warning. 

Sonia turned and walked out of the room as one of them pulled out a phone and made a call. 

“Sir, Barsad has been secured and is conscious. The men who attacked us have been dispatched. We are awaiting retrieval at the hos-,” was all Sonia heard before the doors swung shut. 

As soon as she was cleaned, she went back to the children who awaited her with wide eyes eager to see if she had come back unscathed after hours of being away. 

“Don’t worry,” She told everyone with manufactured cheeriness. “They shouldn’t be back. Everyone get back to what you were doing.”

With as much dignity as she could muster, she walked to the nearest restroom and promptly released the contents of her stomach as all of her nervousness bubbled to the surface.

—  
Barsad was never one to be distracted by a pretty face. He experienced the need for pleasure and had a healthy sex drive. He would, however, was clinical about fulfilling his needs. They just never got in the way of his work.

When he watched the young woman rush through the masses of armed men to embrace a man who Barsad guessed was her father, he immediately thought she was lovely, and left it at that. Other than the image of her embracing her father that news stations seemed determined to keep plastered to the screen, he never expected to see her again in person.

Now, here she was eyeing his wound and meticulously stitching it shut. 

He would be remiss to act as though he were internally calm when he regained consciousness in an unfamiliar room, with a searing pain in his side. As soon as she crested over his vision and spoke to him, Barsad felt himself involuntarily calming down. Her eyes were large and golden in color, which stood out against her darker brown skin. Her hair was pulled back from her face, but was a mass of frizzy curls that were escaping the medical cap she'd haphazardly put on her head. Barsad took in her button nose, and watched at she nervously tugged her full bottom lip between her teeth. With her so close, he could see a few freckles that would be much more noticeable on someone with fairer skin.

From her nervousness, he could tell she thought he was scrutinizing her work, and he allowed her to think so. It would ensure that he was given the best care, while allowing him to look at her. It was a pleasant enough distraction from the fact that his side hurt like hell. He noticed how her eyebrows furrowed, and her plush lips pursed ever so slightly when she concentrated on his stitches.

In truth, he enjoyed observing her work. Watching people was his trade. Studying their behavior was a hobby. Barsad was impressed with her conduct. She was not easily scared off, and seemed diligent. He found himself relaxing under her hands, and closed his eyes again. He listened to her requests of his men, and bit back a smile at her stern tone. Her back and forth with his men was entertaining.

Barsad was annoyed that someone had briefly gotten the upper hand on him. The group of men rushed them as they were finishing up a task that Bane had given them. One of the men had stabbed him, stupidly leaving his weapon in Barsad’s body. 

Barsad, in turn, broke his neck.

By the end of the skirmish, Barsad felt himself growing weak from blood loss, and instructed Khalil, his second for the day, to call for the doctor. He lost consciousness once the League’s doctor said he couldn’t get to them soon enough. 

After she left the room, he looked at the men with him. Khalil handed him the phone. 

"Sir, as Khalil stated I am stable. It appears Gotham still has a few useful doctors left. We are leaving the hospital now," Barsad said immediately as he pressed the phone to his ear. After a few moments, the call was ended and he looked over at his men.

“We need to leave now. One of you get me more information on that woman. She could be of use.” 

He needed to heal quickly. There were too many things left undone. Bane would allow him a day or two of respite, before he would need to be back to work. He would see this doctor again then.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonia is assigned her first tasks as the League's auxiliary doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter two of this very, very AU Batman fic. Once again, this is a "stress fanfiction" aka something I write to distract me from things that are not going well in my real life. 
> 
> It's full of tropes and cliches, and is meant for fun rather than serious consideration. So, read it with an easy mind because it's just escapism anyway lol.

Roughly a week after she treated the mercenary, Sunny was walking home from the hospital. Her young patient, Ned, had been having a particularly difficult day. His breathing was irregular and labored, and the staff realized that the medication for his heart was affecting his lungs. Sunny ended up staying behind longer just to make sure that he would be okay. She passed the time talking to him to keep him calm, and stroking his hair. Meanwhile, all Ned could do was cry out for his mother. It took all her strength to not cry along with him.

The hospital’s supplies of medications were already running low. It was obvious that someone had been pilfering the hospital’s inventory. Now, the staff had to weigh the possibility of rationing out certain medications, and increasing monitoring of patients to avoid patient death. After days like this, Sunny was tired and stressed with no interest in doing anything but going to sleep. 

The sky was the color of stone, with the sun settled just below the horizon. It was cold and wet. Sonia briefly considered spending the night at the hospital before deciding to see if she could manage to make it home instead. The oncall rooms were usually occupied by this time, especially by staff who had found themselves displaced by the siege. Even if she stayed, there would be nowhere for her to rest.

In her hand, she kept a small retractable knife—the size of a multi-tool blade. It wasn’t meant for much, but could be used in a pinch to help her make a quick getaway if time called for it. 

Curtis finally felt okay with letting her walk alone to work on occasion, while he went to visit her mother. Her parents had been together since their late teens, and had Sonia in their late 20s. Curtis’s heart was irrevocably damaged by the loss of his partner for over 40 years.

For all of her reassurances, Sunny had ended up forgetting to grab a weapon on the way out the door. The knife had always been something she carried before the siege, and now it would serve as backup if she needed protection. 

While it was not as prevalent as before, Sunny still found herself discomfited by the attention she was receiving as the “Girl at the Prison.” 

Originally, she was amused by the uncreative epitaph. Naturally, people would see a grown woman and call her a “girl.” That amusement wore off after a few days. For over a week, people leered at her, some threatening, others with curiosity. Even in the hospital, her coworkers treated her differently. She felt like she was on display constantly, and hypervisibility in a time like this was more a curse than anything. No one had known about her father before, now everyone did.

Sunny became aware of footsteps falling behind her, two blocks away from the hospital. She kept walking casually, for another block, allowing the person following her to think that she was still ignorant of their pursuit. All the while she planned on what to do next.

With the knife gripped tight in her hand, she made a sudden turn, and broke into a sprint. Her pursuer let out a startled noise before their heavy footsteps began to sound behind her. 

She felt her muscles react gradually to the activity. They began to remember the use they once had during her high school years running track. She picked up speed and began to feel that wonderful exhilaration of running so quickly that one would feel weightless.

Even still, her pursuer was just as fast, and a calloused hand grasping at her arm made her stumble and slow down enough to be caught. 

With adrenaline pumping through her body, Sunny immediately swung the knife towards the other figure, and they grunted as the blade nicked their face. The assailant did not let go immediately, and she reared back to attempt at making more permanent damage.

“Is this the customary way for a doctor to greet a patient,” The man spoke, his accented voice halting her movement.

Sunny pushed the coils of her hair from her eyes to see a man clutching his jaw. Her eyes widened as she recognized him before narrowing in irritation. He was not in his usual mercenary garb, but rather was dressed like any normal person in the city. He kept a baseball cap low on his face for added obscurity, and Sonia would not have recognized him in a crowd. 

“I suppose,” He spoke with an amused lilt to his voice. “That I probably should have warned you of my presence back at the hospital, but I did not want to scare you too terribly. My plan has backfired.” 

“No fucking kidding,” Sunny spat out as she clutched the knife tighter. “Sneaking up on anyone is never a good idea. Stalking someone is worse. You just got stabbed a few days ago. The last thing you need to do is be chasing unsuspecting women through the night. Your stitches are most likely damaged, and I’m, quite frankly, not inclined to fix them.” 

“Ah. My stitches are fine. I wouldn’t call you unsuspecting. You know how to wield that boxcutter. So, much for the Hippocratic Oath,” He replied with a raised eyebrow. 

“Television has convinced people that oath is more than what it actually is. Also, considering you guys are carting a bomb around the city, are the cause of the new turf war happening between a few of Gotham’s gangs, and are constantly threatening us regular folk, a slight amendment to my ethics is necessary. I don’t seek to hurt people. I just want to protect myself,” She argued back finally gaining control of her breathing. “I could have turned you all away at the hospital.”

“You could have, but guns have a tendency to make us rethink certain courses of action. Though you did not hesitate to stand up to my men the whole time. You’re either brave or very stupid.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Well, I’m not stupid enough to sneak up on an armed person,” She rebutted and he scoffed. 

“That table knife is not worthy of being considered armament. If you seek better weaponry, I will gladly assist. A gun, for example, would be far more appropriate. In the meantime, I wanted to thank you for your assistance. We will be grateful to have your medical assistance in the future. As an asset, you should not be out alone in the dark. There are some criminals roaming the streets. Your father might be familiar with them. Come let us walk as we talk,” Barsad offered. 

Sunny walked alongside him, biting her cheek to avoid snarling at him. “I don’t like guns. Second, don’t talk about my father, especially when you’re one of the criminals roaming the street. There is no ‘in the future.’ I didn’t volunteer to help you. I helped you because, as you so eloquently pointed out, there was a gun pointed at my head. You have no dominion over me, and you know nothing about me.”

“After your little show at Blackgate, Sonia,” Barsad said with added emphasis on her name. “You’ve become well known amongst the city, or rather your face has. It didn’t take long after that to discover who you were. Thanks to your uninhibited display of affection, you’re now a poster child for this rebelion. Many others suffered like your father did. They’re just the scars left over from the disease that ran through Gotham. They’re just the surface. The corruption ran very deep, and now, the corruption is being cleansed day by day by the people of this city.”

He paused and gave her a calculating look. “If the cost of your cooperation is a gun pointed at you, that can always be arranged. Our primary physician serves us well. You will be our back up only if he is unavailable. In exchange, protection. Don’t believe that this is a request. It means that you can walk back and forth between home and the hospital knowing that you’re safe.”

Sonia looked around around and saw the excess of filth on the streets. She could hear the dionysian revelry happening in a building a couple of blocks away. She saw other people walking briskly through the night, casting wary distrustful looks at one another with their hands in their pockets. She noticed a couple arguing across the street gesticulating wildly though their tones were hushed. Gotham was a mess, and one of the men at fault was within arm’s reach.

“I suppose I have no choice? How do you know I won’t try to enact vengeance on any of you for destroying my city?” She asked though uncertainty creeped into her voice. Deception wasn’t a skill she possessed, but the thought of being allied with the men keeping the city captive made her skin crawl.

“Excuse my lack of faith, but I somehow don’t think you have it in you to do such a thing,” Barsad responded with a smirk. “And if you somehow became stupid enough to try, we would dispatch you.”

Sunny’s mouth dropped slightly at the bluntness of his statement, but she quickly snapped it shut. She appraised him silently. 

There was no real arguing. She could cooperate with these men and be offered protection in exchange for her medical services, or she could be forced to do the work by threat of violence. The deal was made as soon as he spoke it into existence. 

The blood from where she had cut him had begun to clot over, and she frowned at it. 

Sunny broke the silence. “My father also benefits from your protection. I also want some supplies for the hospital. I do not want a lot to gain suspicion, but just small things here or there to make things easier for us. We have a lot of patients who are in pain, and we need to be able to help them.” 

Barsad smirked and nodded his head at her. “Done and done. Now, that we are associates, allow me to introduce myself. I am Barsad.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Like the guy from A Tale of Two Cities? That’s an unfortunate namesake.” 

Barsad simply shrugged showing no shock at her knowing the source. “I could have been named worse. Our leader, for example, has his mother to thank for his mononymous address.”

She pulled an alcohol wipe out of her pocket and handed it to him, gesturing towards his cut. “You should clean that just to be safe.” 

Barsad watched her for a moment and took the proffered packet. As he used the wipe on the stinging cut on his cheek, Barsad looked down at her. 

“It appears we have arrived. Let me not keep you from your bed too much longer. I’m sure the children will need you in the morning. You will see me tomorrow,” He told her before walking briskly in the opposite direction. 

Sunny wasted no time and rushed into her home. She didn’t even think about how he already knew where she lived.

Sunny opened her front door, and closed it with a slam. She frantically locked every lock and let out a noise of frustration when her fingers fumbled over them. 

“What’s going on, Sunny?” Curtis asked as he watched her struggle. 

Sonia finally finished locking the door and sagged against it. She refused to look him in the eye while she said this, not wanting to have to pretend to be in control in her own home.

“About a week ago, a man was dragged into the hospital with a stab wound. I treated him, and sent him on his way. That man happens to be Bane’s right hand,” She explained and her father stiffened. 

“What?” Curtis asked incredulously. “You actually helped one of them?” 

“It wasn’t like I had much of a choice. He caught up with me today. As a thank you for my service, I am being forced to work as an auxiliary physician for the League in exchange for their protection,” Sunny finished.

Curtis frowned. “You should have said no.” 

Sunny scowled at him. “You think I didn’t try. These men aren’t the kind to take no for an answer.” 

“Watch your tone with me, Sonia,” Curtis warned his finger pointed at her. 

“I mean no disrespect, but you know how dangerous these men are. There is no telling them no,” Sunny argued. “They have their own doctor, but apparently he gets busy. This guaranteed protection for the both of us. You can’t be mad at me for that.”

Curtis sat on the couch, his head in his hands. “This world has gone to shit.” 

“No offense, dad. But this world has been shittier far, far longer than this occupation. You of all people should know that. Have you eaten?” 

He nodded. 

“Good. I don’t have an appetite. I’m going to bed.” 

She walked down the hall slamming her bedroom door shut behind her. 

After seeing to her needs, Sunny climbed into her bed letting out a warbled sigh.

“This is about to get really bad,” She muttered to herself before doing her best to fall asleep.

\---  
Just as he said, Barsad found her the next day. He had missed her walking to work, but would fulfill his promise to escort her back home. It was uncharacteristically bright considering winter was near, and Barsad was grateful for it. Gotham was cold and grey regardless of season it seemed, and that only made the city seem more unbearable.

Barsad felt more comfortable in sunlight like that he experienced in his youth. He was once again in a disguise not wanting to be recognized well enough for his whereabouts to be reported to any rebellion groups in Gotham. Just as he got comfortable, Sonia walked out of the hospital.

Looking at her, Barsad recalled a childhood memory. Before he was born, his mother had been given a necklace of dark-brown sard stones by his father. It was one of the few items she’d had left of him. Barsad found the earthy tones beautiful when he was a child, and often toyed with that necklace. 

Looking at this doctor now, Barsad thought her skin looked similar to the sard—a deep brown that seemed to glow from within. The sun suited her. Her shoulder length curls were pulled back from her face by an elastic band. She walked with immense purpose towards home, and he followed her, not anticipating that she would make a sudden detour. 

Barsad followed her, all the while wondering where she was headed. 

His eyebrows rose slightly once they reached their destination. She stepped through the back door, and he followed behind not alerting her to his presence just yet. 

If the library was quiet before, it was completely dead now. Untouched for the most part, it was tended to by the librarian who would only make her appearance for a few hours during the sunniest and safest parts of the day. The librarian was young and had only been working there for a year prior to the siege. She was the only one of the staff who remained to try to care for the place.

The librarian and Sunny had an agreement, which had begun at the start of the siege. Sunny had helped the woman board up the windows and doors of the library. She had even gone out of her way to make sure the outside looked ransacked, to ward off potential poachers.

In return, Sunny was given access to the books and resources inside, in which she took immense pleasure.

Sunny nodded to the woman as she entered, and began to grab books seemingly at random. 

On the the aisle dedicated to European history, Barsad decided to make his presence known. 

“So, this is what you do with your freedom. When the doctor is not tending to the ill, she reads,” He announced, leaning his good side against the shelves. He smirked when Sunny jumped at the sound of his voice.

She shot him a glare for startling her before snapping the book shut. 

“Well, when you don’t have to worry to worry about things like money because your boss is dead, or rent because the man who owns your block is dead, or bills because everything is cut off, you find yourself with more time to explore hobbies. You should try to get a hobby. Like reading up on Catherine the Great,” She said, and held up a biography of the former empress. 

Barsad quirked an eyebrow. “You have admiration for her? You know she was no liberator and was more concerned with her various lovers rather than the wellbeing of her countrymen. Do you admire those who exercise such extreme power?”

“Sometimes people just want to read a book,” Sonia replied in kind adding it to her still relatively short stack. “Plus, if we’re all going to die, I want to at least learn as much as I possibly can first and feed into every curiosity I’ve ever had.” 

“You want to learn as much as you can, before you die. You are young, and yet choose to be a part from others your age. There are constant parties and revelries downtown, but here you are. Strange. Plus, nothing is set in stone. There is a chance the bomb may not detonate,” He challenged smoothly. 

“I’m nearing 30. Constant partying is not really of interest to me as I get sleepy. Dark, crowded, and sweaty places are not for me. Learning is living. I constantly expect the bomb to detonate, because people are foolish and want to be heroes. Anyone could be trying to escape this moment and condemn the rest of us to die. Gotham’s fate was sealed the minute Bane killed those football players. Even if the bomb doesn’t kill us, we’re bound to destroy each other.” 

Barsad said nothing, but followed her as she walked down another aisle. 

“Gotham is a large city that has quite a few libraries. We can thank Bruce Wayne’s endless pockets for that. This one was a little further out than the rest, and had a smaller selection. Not many people knew of it. While the others were ransacked for books, textbooks for families with children, and fire fodder for people trying to stay warm, I volunteered to help this library stay intact. I’ve been coming here regularly for the past few weeks, grabbing books and eating them up. I used to read much more when I was younger. It lasted all the way until my late teens, when my father was locked away. Now that he’s back, I find my desire to read has been reignited.” 

“Ah yes, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. You caused quite a stir amongst the ranks for that rousing display. They spoke of you for days in court, especially when the DA was on trial. You became the symbol of injustice—the young, Black woman embracing her father and-,” Barsad began but was immediately interrupted.

“There’s nothing more to say other than I was a woman embracing my father. I don’t want to be a poster child for anyone’s movement or kangaroo court. My father was racially profiled and tried for crimes he never committed. Even with the flimsy evidence against him, the Dent Act allowed for his persecution. My mother and I rallied for years for his release, but only I lived long enough to see it. Now, he finally has his freedom, and the people I have to thank for that want to blow us up,” Sonia explained, her voice taking on an edge. 

“That being said,” she continued. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? Why are you bothering me?” 

Barsad offered her a toothy, uncharacteristic grin that did not meet his eyes. She was taken aback momentarily by how young he looked when he smiled despite the coldness of the expression. “My duties for the day are complete, and we had a deal. I’m seeing to its completion. Furthermore, your services are required. My stab wound needs a check up.” 

“We can do that now. Pull up your shirt,” Sonia huffed impatiently ignoring his compliment altogether. 

“There’s no need to rush undressing me. Does my presence bother you?” Barsad asked as he pulled up his shirt. The wound looked well taken care of. It was clean, and nearly time for the stitches to be removed.

“This looks good. You’ve done a good job of taking care of it. Give it another couple of days, and it should be safe to remove the stitches.”

“Good to hear. I’ll see you then, doctor.” 

“Come to the hospital so I can remove them. Or, you can have your doctor do it,” Sonia offered hoping he would see his own physician instead.

“I’ll talk to him. Come, let me escort you home. It is part of our arrangement after all,” He offered and she followed him quietly after waving goodbye to the librarian.

Barsad walked her as far as her block before peeling off into the shadows with a quick goodbye. 

\---  
The walks after the first occurred in complete silence. Sunny would exit the hospital, and would notice Barsad in her peripheral vision. She always walked quickly in the direction of home keeping a moderate distance between the two of them.

Sometimes, she would glance back at him, only to always meet his gaze head on. 

Once they reached her apartment building, Barsad would nod at her and walk away. The ritual only lasted the 20 minutes it took to walk from the hospital to her home.

One day, Sunny decided to change the pattern. 

“Do you think what you’re doing in Gotham is just?” She asked him, shortening the distance between the two of them. 

“There a different kinds of justice, this is just one kind,” Barsad answered unperturbed by her musing. 

“How so?” 

“The people of Gotham are finally taking back control from their tyrants. They’re being told the truth, and being allowed to see their will be enacted.” 

“Yes, but,” Sonia paused for a moment before continuing. “My thoughts on this are a little complicated. Justice needs to be done on the individual scale as well as a grand scale. You getting rid of authority in Gotham doesn’t mean that everyone is going to do the right thing. As you can see, it’s made people more reckless and unhappier. I believe that the just person is the happiest person.” 

“Well, that’s rather Platonic of you, but it’s unrealistic when applied beyond the individual. People’s happiness doesn’t always align with making others happy. People make selfish choices constantly, especially when they’re in positions of power. When they’re in positions of power, their capacity to harm is much greater.”

“So, how is what you’re doing here a kind of justice?” Sunny question more confused than she had been before. 

“We rid the people of a corrupt system to give them the chance to choose and do for themselves. What they choose to do with that freedom is entirely on them,” Barsad reasoned his eyes pointed ahead. 

“Well, looks like that’s the end of that conversation,” Sunny said as they reached her home. “Goodbye.” 

Barsad nodded at her, and watched until she was secured inside. 

“What a peculiar woman,” He grunted. 

\--

The next day, Sunny waited outside for Barsad. He usually was already waiting for her by the time she was walking out the door. She never understood how he knew exactly when she was prepared to leave, but did not want to ask either. 

Today, he was late. In the few weeks they had been walking together, he had never been late. Sonia was worried.

“I might just have to walk alone today. Something came up,” Sunny decided aloud as she began to walk. 

She was a little nervous about going alone, having become accustomed to having the silent mercenary’s company. 

Just as she reached the end of her block, a black car pulled in front of her. 

Sunny sprang back defensively and turned to run back home, but a voice stopped her. 

“Sonia,” Barsad barked out from the now open door. “Sorry I’m late, but it appears we’re going to need to use your services today. Come with me.” 

Sunny reached out for his proffered hand as he pulled her in alongside him. 

“So, no hospital today?” She asked as she strapped on her seatbelt. 

“I’m afraid not,” He replied grimly, his eyes narrowed at something outside of the car. Sunny remained silent as the driver pulled off. 

Sunny knew that the League’s headquarters were inside what was once cityhall. The car was going in the opposite direction. It pulled to a stop in front of a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. This district had been left abandoned for the most part after the siege. Like others around the city, many of the workers realized that in the face of obliteration, their purpose meant naught, and decided to stay home with their families. 

“You’re not allowed to talk about what you see in here,” Barsad warned as they entered the warehouse. The room was full of weapons and vehicles. Bunks were against one side of the room, and a handful of men were patrolling along the raised walkways. 

Sunny gaped at the room before Barsad snapped her out of it by clearing his throat. 

“We had some new recruits who joined right before occupation. They’re from here, willful and hotheaded. Their lack of full training has caused some issues, like the one you’ll be seeing to today. One of the men is dead, having fallen from the walkway. The other is suffering from various wounds I would like you to see to,” Barsad explained as she followed him to the bunks. 

In one bed, there was a man lying flat on his back. He was shirtless, and his abdomen was wrapped tight with bandages. He was sandy-haired and looked to be in his early thirties. His brown eyes were distrustful, but he said nothing to her.

“It looks like someone tried to treat him,” Sunny said her voice switching to the more professional one she took in the hospital. 

Almost as soon as she turned, Barsad was handing her a large tool kit she could only assume had supplies in it.

She opened it was was surprised at the variety of tools available. 

“My name is Dr. Young, and I will be treating you today. So, you had a rib injury?” Sunny calmly asked the man as she pulled on gloves and rifled through the supplies. 

“Yes,” He wheezed. “Fucker kicked me while I was down.” 

Sonia tisked and pulled a pair of scissors out of the kit before bringing them to the bandages wrapped around him. The man’s eyes widened as she began to cut away the bandages, and his hissed in pain at the loss of compression. 

Barsad watched her work, with a hand coming up to cup his chin. He noticed that her tone of voice was different from the soft way she had spoken to him. This must be how she actually treated her patients. 

“Wrapping broken ribs is an outdated method that does nothing but restrict breathing,” Sonia explained as she gently pulled the wrap away from him. “You need to breathe freely and deeply. You also need to use a cold compress on your abdomen regularly. You ribs will heal overtime. You should rest, but do so at a slight incline to relieve pressure.” 

With gentle hands, Sunny silently finished her observation of the rest of his injuries. His body was covered in bruises and inflammation due to the scuffle he had found himself in. 

Sonia turned to Barsad, and said, “This man is unfit for any duties for the next month and a half. He needs to be monitored for deep breathing to make sure that his lungs don’t get infected. His lungs are actually our primary concern.”

He nodded and crossed his hands over his chest. “How did the fight happen Ruben?” 

“Kevin was just losing his shit. He was talking crazy about how this wasn’t what he wanted anymore. He was saying he was going to try to escape. Bronny heard him too. So, we tried to get him to calm down, but he went wild and was fighting us both. He knocked out Bronny first, and then, we were going at it. He was kicking my ass for a minute, but then I grabbed his foot. I just meant to shove him away, but he went over the rail,” Ruben explained slowly pausing to take deep breaths. 

“Do you want to run away Ruben?” Barsad asked. Sonia noticed the change in his tone, and pulled off her gloves. After putting the supplies back into the box, she stood from the bed, and Barsad didn’t spare her a glance.

“No sir. This is my life now, and I wish to see it through til the end,” Ruben answered. 

Barsad merely stared at him before turning to Sonia. 

“If this Bronny was knocked unconscious, I will check him over as well,” She offered. 

“He’s up there patrolling now. Swore he was fine,” Ruben explained nodding towards the elevated walkway. 

Sonia grabbed the small penlight from the kit and made her way over to the stairs. With Barsad right behind her, they climbed all the way up to where the patrolling men were. All stood at attention when they saw Barsad. 

“Bronny come here so the doctor may check you,” He ordered and a wiry boy stepped forward.

Sonia approached him. “Hello Bronny, I’m Dr. Young. I’ll be examining you,” She said giving him her usual speech. “I heard you were knocked unconscious and I just want to make sure it’s not too bad. I’m going to use a penlight to check your eyes.” 

Her hand came up and cupped his left temple as she flashed the light in that eye, and then switched to the other. She noticed him flinch, and frowned a little bit. 

“Are you in pain?” She asked. 

“I just have a headache ma’am. I didn’t go to sleep last night because I heard that’s bad,” He said with the barest of slurs to his voice. 

“Anything else? I need to know to make sure I can help you fully.”

“I threw up after I regained consciousness,” He admitted.

Sonia examined him a little longer. “It’s a mild concussion. You should be back to normal anywhere from the next few days to a week. Please try not to hit your head again.”

“What about my duties?” Bronny asked casting a nervous look at Barsad. 

Sunny mulled for a moment. “If you could sit watch, but not have to move around so much, that would be better. You could pull your weight without exerting yourself physically.” 

“Go watch the back doors,” Barsad commanded him, and the young man walked slowly to his new post. 

Sonia followed Barsad back downstairs as he spoke to the man in charge of the warehouse. She was mindful not to look around too much or snoop in order to avoid catching their ire.

After fifteen minutes of hushed conversation, Barsad was ready to leave. 

They took a different route back to the city, and Sonia sat quietly observing her fingers.

“Drop us off at the library that’s in two blocks. Circle back back the apartment in an hour,” He commanded, and Sunny looked at him in surprise. 

She had planned on stopping at the library that day, but the change in plans made her think she would have to put it off until the next day. 

“Thank you,” She said to the mercenary, and he merely nodded his acknowledgement.

He was a little more pleased than he should have been at her happiness. Indeed the entire walk to her apartment from the library was spent listening to her chatter about the books she had just gotten. Barsad didn’t understand how someone could talk so much about books they had not yet read. 

“Goodnight Barsad,” Sonia said, uncharacteristically cheerful as they reached her apartment.

He opened his mouth to reply in kind, but someone skulking in a nearby alley caught his attention, and his eyes narrowed. He had almost forgotten about the man trailing them.

“Goodnight,” came his reply, unintentionally gruff. The smile on her face dimmed, and she turned on her heel and walked into her apartment. 

Barsad almost felt guilty, but the possibility of them being followed was a much more pressing issue. 

Barsad’s eyes cut towards a figure in the alleyway who had been following them. Sonia obviously hadn’t noticed, else she wouldn’t have had such a cheery disposition, but Barsad had known of the man’s presence the minute they left the hospital. 

He maneuvered through two nearby buildings until he could approach the figure from behind. Barsad pressed the cold nose of his pistol against their head, and asked, “Why have you been following me? Answer quickly.”

“Not you. The girl,” The man spat out, and Barsad was grateful for his honesty though he dreaded that answer. “She’s pretty. Doesn’t pay enough attention to her surroundings. She stopped carrying around the baseball belt. That was foolish.”

Barsad was immediately alarmed by the mention of the baseball bat. He had made a deal with the woman for her protection. He just didn’t think she would already manage to find herself in this much trouble so soon. “How long have you been following her?” 

“Since the prison.” 

So, since the beginning, Barsad thought.

“Well, it’s time to stop. You will regret it if I find you following her again.”

“It’s a good thing we’re all gonna blow up. Your threats don’t scare me,” The man replied nonchalantly. “I have friends too.” 

“Don’t test me,” Barsad said calmly. In a flash he drew a knife, and pressed it against the man’s groin. “I will make sure you spend your last days suffering.”

The man’s eyes flashed with fear, and he gave one resentful, forceful jerk of his head in agreement with the terms. Barsad let him go and watched him run away.

“The men of this city are weak,” He spat with disgust.  
\---  
Sonia jogged to her apartment building, and took the stairs two at a time. As she got closer to the door, a familiar scent filled her nose, and a wide smile bloomed on her face. She easily forgot her irritation with Barsad. Once the the door swung open, she was greeted by the sight of Curtis cradling her largest serving bowl filled to the brim with popcorn. 

“It may have been a waste of oil and matches, but I wanted to relieve our popcorn parties from when you were younger,” Curtis explained sheepishly. 

Sunny’s smiled widened, and she quickly closed the door behind her. 

“Of course dad. God, it’s been so long,” Sunny said setting her books down on the table. 

Curtis ambled over to the couch, and plopped down, a few pieces falling onto the floor. Sunny curled up next to him, and immediately reached for a handful. 

Curtis eyed the stack of books and smiled at her. “I see you’re reading again.” 

“Yeah, I need to keep my mind occupied. The hospital keeps me busy, but it’s incredibly stressful. Every broadcast is a countdown to the end. Sometimes, a good book is all you have to escape.” Sonia figured it was better not tell him that she spent her day helping treat brawling traitors.

“I’m going to start walking around the city. It’s changed so much over 8 years. I mean you can see the changes made by this group holding us all hostage, but there’s more. Plus, I want to visit your mother,” Curtis said his voice softening at the end. 

“Do you want me to go with you?” Sonia asked, but Curtis shook his head. 

“I would prefer to go alone. Not that I don’t want you around, but I need to see her alone,” Curtis answered and quickly ate a handful as if to avoid having to speak about it further. 

“Let me tell you about medical school. I know I gave you general updates in my letters, but I didn’t get to give you the real nitty gritty, ” Sonia said changing the subject immediately. 

“That would be nice.”

“So my biology partner threw up on me during one of our vivisections,” Sonia began, and Curtis listened to his daughter paint a picture of the parts of her life he had missed out on.

The two stayed up late in the apartment lit by candlelight exchanging stories of the years that had passed without his presence in her life. One occupant could not help but think that this strife could be worth it potentially, if only for that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Let me know what you think?

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you found some enjoyment in the first chapter. Thank you for reading.


End file.
